OKC Thunder Makes SMART MOVE vs. Denver | RANKING Play-In Teams | NBA Award Season
Oklahoma City Thunder punt the Denver Nuggets showdown, prioritizing playoff positioning over a late-season win. With stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams sitting out, OKC’s bold move could shape the Western Conference bracket and keep Denver, San Antonio Spurs, and a hobbled Los Angeles Lakers at bay. Can this strategy pave a smoother road to the NBA Finals?
Host Rylan Stiles and guest Justin Martinez rank the Thunder’s ideal play-in opponents—Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, and LA Clippers—breaking down defensive matchups, possible series outcomes, and travel challenges. The episode also spotlights award season chatter, including Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP campaign, Chet Holmgren’s All-NBA prospects, and Mark Daigneault’s Coach of the Year case. Who’s the Thunder’s toughest first-round threat, and will their calculated rest pay off when the postseason tips off?
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25 Comments
lol
⚡️
I hope our guys heal up soon. Those darn injuries.
Toumani Camara was good recently, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, nothing menacing for sure….Clingan has been a rebounding beast….but nothing u can't control with the double bigs.
really need Suns get the W against the Lakers
I'm worried we'll still win 😅
McCain is going to have a BIG game. 30-40 pts
🦬🌩️🥶🔶🏆🔶🥶🌩️🦬
⚡️⚡️THUNDER🆙⚡️⚡️
Thunder oughta just let McCain shoot about 40 to 60 times to see if he can break Wilt Chamberlain's record.
OKC GOING FOR THE RING BABY
The funny part is that OKC still has a shot in this game lol
Well the lakers have 2 cupcakes games at home.
The nuggets have okc at home and spurs on the road.
Who has the tie breaker between them?
Seems like with 40% from the 3, McCain would be in the regular rotation during the playoffs.
22:51 Never heard of the OKC Dream Team Podcast. I searched but couldn't find it
Crap! That injury bug could do us in. Po!
This is setup perfect for our back 2 back!!!⚡
The Thunder don't want any part of San Antonio for obvious reasons. The problem is, Denver may be healthy, in which case the Thunder don't want any part of them either. Denver took OKC to 7 games last year with no bench, and injuries to Gordon and Michael Porter Jr in the last two games. This year, Denver has a bench, a back up center, hopefully a healthy Aaron Gordon, and the MVP of the league by just about every metric. Unfortunately for OKC, the sports writers can't give them the Larry O'brien trophy. It's not a given. Should be some great basketball.
Scared is what it is!
They know a fully healthy nuggets team beats them 4 of 7 times…
This is the same thing OKC did when they last faced the Spurs. Not good psychologically. It tells their mind that they are not good enough and have to pull this trick.
OKC was never a basketball club, and now it is like a game of the riches. I shit in their dirty mouth.
🤔 Jokic REAL MVP !
Nuggets fan here – I hope Nikola (Topić) will have lots of minutes in this game! I have high hopes for that guy. It is a good move to give some rest to your main guys. I wish Nuggets did that last year…
Its so funny Justin, I found myself growing in my fondness of watching the Hornets too. Definitely the team I've watched the 2nd most.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams and Thomas Sorber have all been ruled out.
Silverman would penalize any other team but the foul merchants if they pulled this stunt.
Why is Dort playing in this game